Article wrapping structure



Feb 6, 1962 B. A. ARvlDsoN 3,019,584

ARTICLE WRAPPING STRUCTURE Filed April 30, 1957 United States PatentOlice wl Patented Feb. 6, 1962 3,019,584 ARTlCLE WRAPPING STRUCTURE Bengt A. Arvitison, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Miller Wrapping da Sealing Machine Co., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 3i), 1957, Ser. No. 656,044 4 Claims. (Cl. Sli-39d) This invention relates to an article Wrapping structure, and more particularly to mechanism facilitating the initial banding of an article that is to be subsequently corner wrapped.

An object of this invention is to provide new and improved article wrapping structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a structure for securely holding a stack of sheets of wrapping material while permitting ready detachment of a sheet from the top thereof, including a tray, a drill member carried by the tray, and means mounting the drill member for operation in a manner preventing damage to the tray.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Wrapping structure including a table and a sheet supporting tray adapted to rest on the table top, in which the top and tray are formed with interengaging elongated tongue and groove means to siidably guide and conline the tray relative to the table top and an article stop formed on the table which functions to align an `article relative to a sheet of wrapping material.

A further object oi the invention is to provide a wrapping structure for initially manually banding an article having a table provided with a transversely extending article stop against which an article may be iocated'when placed on a sheet of wrapping material previously located relative to said stop, said article stop having a continuous linear edge above the top of the table over which a portion of the wrapping material sheet may be drawn and folded downwardly to draw the wrapping material tightly and without wrinkles across the top of the article preparatory to subsequent corner wrapping of the article, and means defining an opening in said stop beneath the continuous linear edge through which a corner oi said sheet may extend as required by the size of the article being wrapped.

The objects of the invention generally set forth together with other ancillary advantages are attained by the construction and arrangement shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view in elevation of the table forming part of the wrapping structure;

FIG. 2 is a section in elevation of the table top taken generally along the line 2 2 in FIG. l, and with a part thereof broken away;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a tray forming part of the wrapping structure with a stack of sheets therein;

FiG. 4 is a front View in elevation of the tray shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the guide block formed at a corner of the tray and shown with a stack of sheets of wrapping material therein and with mechanism associated therewith for securing the sheets in the tray; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a spacer plate shown in FIG. 5.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail an illustrative embodiment ot' the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplitication of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application U.S. Serial No. 642,526, tiled February 26, 1957, now U.S. Patent No. 2,981,043. My prior application discloses a wrapping machine for wrapping a corner wrapped article, and as shown therein, such article may be a tray having shallow sides in which dierently shaped cuts of meat or produce may be placed. In making such a corner wrapped article, a generally square sheet of wrapping material is banded about the article so as to have a. corner of the sheet extend from each end of the article, with a band of the material formed around the article. The other two corners of the sheet overlap on the underside of the article. This initial wrap may then be secured by heat sealing the overlapping corners of the sheet at the bottom of the article. The initially wrapped article is then advanced through a wrapping machine such as shown in the above referred to application.

The wrapping structure comprises an initial wrapping table 1 which provides a location for an operator to first place a generally square sheet of wrapping material around the article, and further comprises one or more trays indicated generally at 2. The table 1 is provided with a plurality of shelves 3 on which these trays may be placed when not in use.

The tray 2 comprises a base plate 5 and a pair of upstanding adjacent side walls 6 and 7 which are secured at right angles to each other and to the base plate S by suitable means such as welding. The side walls 6 and define a corner of the tray, and a guide member in the form oi a block S is mounted in said corner and secured to the side walls by a suitable means, such as welding. The guide block 8 is located above the base plate 5 a distance sufficient so as to receive therebeneath a stack of sheets of wrapping material 10. The wrapping material, as an example, may be in the form of sheets of cellophane and of a thickness whereby a thousand sheets from a one-inch stack so that the guide block S would be located a distance above the base plate 5 of slightly more than an inch. This cellophane is coated on either one o1' both sides to enable heat sealing thereof.

The tray is provided with means for holding the sheets from falling out when moving trays olf or onto the table 1, while permitting the removal of sheets from the top of the stack one by one. The guide block 8 is formed with a smooth walled opening 15 extending therethrough in a direction generally parallel to the plane of the base late 5 and of a size to receive a drill member 16 and permit insertion and withdrawal of the drill member.

The drill member 16, when inserted fully, has a lower end i7 which seats against the base plate 5 of the tray and has a shank 18 extended upwardly through the opening 15 and provided with a tang 19. The drill member i6 also has spiral cutting iiutes 2li formed in the body thereof to form cutting edges.

in order to secure a stack of sheets in the tray the drill member 16 is withdrawn from the tray through the opening l5 and a sheet stack placed in the tray and under the guide block 8. The drill member i6 is then moved through the opening 15 so as to engage thelower end or point 17 of the drill mem-ber with the top of the sheet stack. A ibifurcated spacer plate 25 (FIG. 6) is then positioned under the guide block 8 to keep the sheets from expanding up around the drill and binding tight against the bottom of guide block S. The plate has a pair of legs 26 and 27 which lie to either side of the drill member 16. A speed wrench 28 is then connected at a lower end 29 to the tang 19 of the drill member, and rotation of the speed wrench results in the drill cutting through the stack of sheets until its lower end 17 engages the base plate T he mounting and operation of the drill member resuits in a smooth, trouble-free operation and avoids any damage to the tray. The drill member 16 only moves downwardly as is permitted 'by the cutting rate of the drill, and the lack of any threaded relation between the dril-l member shank 18 and the guide block 8 avoids any tendency to push the ldrill member through the stack faster than it can cut. With the drill member fully seated in the stack, the speed wrench 2S is then removed from the drill member and the spacer plate 2S is also withdrawn so the tray is then available for use. The withdrawal of the spacer plate along with the speed wrench 28 is insured by the interconnection of these parts by a chai-n 29a.

With a relativel-y complete stack of sheets there is suticient friction to hold the drill member 16 in fully Yseated position in the tray. However, as the stack becomes depleted, this friction is lessened and a manually operable set screw 3E) in threaded engagement with the guide block 8, as shown at 31, may extend into en- Y gagement with the drill member shank 18 to securely hold the drill member in its seated position.

The tray has a diagonally extending elongated tongue secured to its underside by means such as rivets 36 and 37 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The table 1 has legs 4() for supporting the shelves 3 and which at their upper ends are connected to a fra1nework formed of members 41, 42, 43 and 44, which may be in the form of angle irons, and which are welded together. The top of the table 1 is formed from a pair of elongated rectangular panels 45 and 46, each having a downturned ange i7 and 4S, respectively, extending alongside each other in spaced apart relation with an elongated bar 49 extending therebetween. The anges 47 and 48 are connected to the bar 49 by means such as bolts 56 and connect the parts together to form a unitary table top. The upper side of the bar 49 is set beneath the level of the panels 45 and 46 so as to form in cooperation with the ilanges 47 and 48 an elongated groove which receives the elongated tongue 35 formed onvthe underside of a tray to slidably guide and confine the tray on the table top. The table top may also be fastened to the frame members 4Z and 44 by means such as screws 51. A scale may be positioned in or adjacent the groove so as to facilitate proper location of the tray along the table top.

The frame members 42 and 44 extend beyond the table top and between them support a heat sealer including a cover 52 and a hot plate 53.

An article stop is provided at one end of the table and comprises a transversely extending plate suitably fastened to an end of the table and having an upper continuous linear edge 61 at a level above the table top.

The plate intermediate its ends is formed with an opening 62 beneath the linear edge 61 which is also in alignment with the groove formed in the table top.

ln `banding Va sheet of wrapping material about an article, a tray containing the proper size sheets is placed on the table top with the tongue 35 in the groove formed in the table top and is adjusted relative to the article stop 60 lengthwise in the groove depending upon the size of article to be wrapped. The tray is located diagonally of the article stop. An article is then placed on the top sheet generally adjacent the corner of the sheet opposite from the corner of the tray containing the guide block 8 and in abutting relation with the article stop. The corner of the sheet impaled by the drill member 16 is then drawn off the drill member and placed across the top of the article and across the article stop 60. The article is then lifted and the formerly impaled `corner of the sheet passed under the article. The two corners of the sheet under the article are placed on the hot plate 53 to seal them. The article then has the sheet banded therearound with two corners of the sheet standing out, one from each end of the article. The article may then be wrapped by the machine disclosed in my previously referred to application.

When packaging certain relatively flat articles such as pork chops or steaks in a tray having upwardly extending edges, the edge of the tray is the highest part of the article and drawing the wrapping thereacross will result in producing wrinkles. The continuous linear edge 6i formed on the article stop provides a straight line surface against which the wrapping material may be drawn downwardly to obtain a tight, wrinkle-free section of wrapping material across the article. Furthermore, when wrapping a rather narrow article it is necessary to have a corner of the wrapping sheets extend through the article stop, and more particularly through the opening 62, and with the article stop herein disclosed this may be done while still maintaining the continuous linear edge to facilitate the ob taining of a wrinkle-free wrap of the article.

l claim:

l. A wrapping structure for facilitating the initial manual wrap of an article with a sheet of wrapping material comprising, a tray adapted to hold a stack of sheets of wrapping material, a table having a top on which said tray may be positioned, an article stop on the table against which an article to be wrapped by a sheet of wrapping material may be positioned, and elongated interlitting groove and tongue formed one on the tray underside and the other in the table top with the tongue having a length suiicient for slidably guiding and conning the tray for movements toward and away from said stop without twisting in a predetermined orientation relative Vto said article stop so that placing an article on the top sheet of wrapping material in the tray and in position against the article stop Will locate the article and sheet relative to each other.

2. A wrapping mechanism for'facilitating manual forming of an initial wrap of a sheet of wrapping material about an article comprising, a table having a top adapted to support a sheet of wrapping material, and an article stop extending transversely of the table against which an article may abut whereby an article may be guided by the stop to a desired position on a sheet previously located relative to the stop, said article stop having a continuous linear top edge at a level above said table top forming a folding edge for the wrapping material with an opening beneath a length thereof to permit the insertion of a sheet corner beneath the article stop when locating the sheet relative to said stop.

3. A wrapping structure for facilitating the initial `manualbanding of an article with a sheet of generally square wrapping material `for subsequent corner wrapping thereof comprising, a table having a top, a tray adapted to rest on the table top and having a stack of said sheets, means for aligning the tray relative to an end of the table to hold the sheet stack in a predetermined position, an article stop extending transversely across one end of the table to locate an article abutting thereagainst 'relative to a sheet in the tray on which the article is placed, said stop being in the -form of a plate having a continuous inear upper edge adapted to lie above the level of the table top, whereby a portion of the sheet may be extended across the top of the article and said linear edge and folded downwardly from the edge to obtain a tight, wrinkle-free section of wrapping material across the article, and means defining an opening in said plate beneath a portion of the continuous linear edge to permit a corner of said sheet stack to extend thereunder when necessary for the size of article being banded.

4. A wrapping structure for facilitating the initial manual wrap of an article with a sheet of wrapping material comprising, an initial wrap table having a top and an article stop, a tray adapted to hold sheets of wrapping material, an elongated narrow tongue formed on the underside of the tray, and means delining an elongated narrow groove in the top of the table extending toward the article stop for receiving the elongated tongue to slidably guide and confine the tray in a predetermined orientation relative to the table and the article stop, said table top being formed from a pair of elongated horizon- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,396 Rumsey Nov. 26, 1957 6 Stande May 29, Henley Oct. 27, Nowell Aug. 2, Borhmrt Mar. 17, Prcer Ost. 14, Holmberg Jan. 20, Garapolo et al. Apr. 17, Kabrick Feb. 5, Darrow et al. Apr. 2, Rumsey Mar. 25, Stremke July 1, 

